Posted on October 01 2011
Christian Hörgren shares his stellar Ross Reels R-Series collection in today's post and I'm struck with the simple yet striking designs of each of these fly reels.
Christian wrote... "The Ross R-Series was manufactured in the late 70's while the shop was still located in Etna, California. This was the first series of reels from the Ross factory and is therefore often referred to as the "original" Ross reel. It came in four different trout sizes; R1, R2 and R3 with increasing diameter, and the R3.5 which was basically identical to the R3 but with a wide spool."
"When I first saw the R-reels I was struck by the beauty of the ventilated spool. The flower pattern is a flirt with the cavous reels from the early 20th century, but I prefer to see it as a rose window in a cathedral through which you can get a glimpse of the eternity. The drag is simple with an adjustable knob on the frame, giving same tension on pay and retrieve. No click, all silent."
"My reel to go is the R2 with a solid spool. I love the silent expression and the generic design of this configuration. The anonymous look makes it a perfect match to almost every rod in my collection. But the thing I love the most with the R-Series is the graphic work, a detail very often overlooked in rod and reel design."
"The font strikingly similar to the writings on Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" (1977) made by L.A. designer Larry Vigon, a fact that makes the reel very much a child of it's time. It's typical of its time, yet it's archetypal, that's what makes this reel one of the icons in 20th century reel design."
I certainly wish Ross Reels would do a throw back run and bring these back. Please...
Christian wrote... "The Ross R-Series was manufactured in the late 70's while the shop was still located in Etna, California. This was the first series of reels from the Ross factory and is therefore often referred to as the "original" Ross reel. It came in four different trout sizes; R1, R2 and R3 with increasing diameter, and the R3.5 which was basically identical to the R3 but with a wide spool."
"When I first saw the R-reels I was struck by the beauty of the ventilated spool. The flower pattern is a flirt with the cavous reels from the early 20th century, but I prefer to see it as a rose window in a cathedral through which you can get a glimpse of the eternity. The drag is simple with an adjustable knob on the frame, giving same tension on pay and retrieve. No click, all silent."
"My reel to go is the R2 with a solid spool. I love the silent expression and the generic design of this configuration. The anonymous look makes it a perfect match to almost every rod in my collection. But the thing I love the most with the R-Series is the graphic work, a detail very often overlooked in rod and reel design."
"The font strikingly similar to the writings on Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" (1977) made by L.A. designer Larry Vigon, a fact that makes the reel very much a child of it's time. It's typical of its time, yet it's archetypal, that's what makes this reel one of the icons in 20th century reel design."
I certainly wish Ross Reels would do a throw back run and bring these back. Please...
